


Comparing Ship Technology: The Ships Columbus Used Verses Ships of Today

by AlexSmithxox



Series: Essays [1]
Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: AP history, Essays, Written in Class, academic essay, christopher columbus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 21:00:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16772851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexSmithxox/pseuds/AlexSmithxox
Summary: Second essay I have written and posted here. Written for a Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) essay contest.Written in class with a mandatory minimum word count of 800.





	Comparing Ship Technology: The Ships Columbus Used Verses Ships of Today

**Author's Note:**

> Topic: The three-ship fleet of Christopher Columbus included two ships known as caravels, Nina and Pinta, and one larger ship which served as Columbus’ flag ship, Santa Maria. Discuss the advantages and disadvantage of these late fifteenth-century ships compared to the modern ships of today and how they would have been prepared for his voyage.

Christopher Columbus, the man who was credited with finding the Americas while searching for alternate route to India for trade reasons, traveled with three ships in his fleet and these ships sailed from Spain to the Bahamas. These ships were named the Nina, Pinta, and finally the Santa Maria. The first two were caravels, a word for boats that were lean, swift, and their key purpose was to move through the Atlantic Ocean effortlessly. The Santa Maria however, was a bulky vessel called a flagship and it transported the explorer, Christopher Columbus, himself. While these ships were considered excellent pieces of technology when they constructed in the 15th century, they are overshadowed by the feats of the modern world that are produced in this point in time like the cruise ship or yacht for example.

Firstly, in order to understand how different the construction, abilities, and preparedness of today’s ships to those from Columbus’ time, one must analyze the technology that was available during the time period. Of course, ships all lacked pluming, air conditioning, and more perks that we have the privilege of having today. Between not having blueprints for a ship, a crew who knows how to man a vessel, supplies, or even funding, the ship may not have been as prepared enough to even travel to India, much less the “New World.” Metal and its more durable alternatives were not obtainable in the large quantities that would be required to build one vessel, much less a whole fleet. In the event there was enough metal to go around the price would be staggeringly high, so the ships were made of wood. If materials had been mass-produced as they are today, they would not have been remotely the same.

The caravels were sleek, compact, and unique in the time of 1500’s: insanely innovative. These ships were designed in the heads of their shipwrights, so others would not copy plans and possibly remake the ship, in light of the fact that this strategy made sure no two caravels were exactly the same (Dugard, 2005, p. 38). Their size was slight and because of this, they became cost-effective for Spain and required less hands. As a matter of fact, the Pinta “carried a crew of 26 men” while the Nina made way with a “24-man crew” and these numbers were not enormous compared to the number of men aboard the flagship (Gallagher, 2011, p. 11-12). However, because of the fact that these ships were small they were also weak. The hull was incredibly flimsy, and an attack come or the ship hitting a sand bar would be detrimental. Attacks were increasingly common as trading became popular as pirates would see the white flags of the caravels and would then hold a crew hostage. The lateen sails which are closely related to the modern sail called the flying jib. This sail has been tweaked and updated trough out the ages, but the triangular shape and rigging has remained ultimately intact (Campbell, 1995, p. 21). These two ships would end up being the only ones to return to Europe to tell the news of an unexpected land that was nestled between the Atlantic and Pacific.

The flagships however were monstrous vessels that the commanding officer stayed on during the journey that may last one to several months. The flagship was very large and heavy, so it required a crew of able bodied men the was nearly double the number of men that operated the caravels as stated in my previous paragraph. The Santa Maria carried 40 laborers, Columbus, and the flagship’s Master (Gallagher, 2011, p. 12). She also had white flags but was equipped with weapons that could defend her against any naval enemies. The Santa Maria was a hundred tons of Spanish labor, but her life did not last long. In Columbus’ private journal that was later secured by a historic society, he writes that he “saw a great reef of rocks which encircles all [Hispaniola]” (Hale 26). On Christmas day the Santa Maria unfortunately ran aground a reef and the salvaged wood from her stern was used to construct shelter on shore (Imlach, 1906, p. 15). While her size was inhibiting it was necessary to carry the bulk of the fleet’s supplies like food, fresh water, materials for a future shelter, and other effects. 

In conclusion, the ships of today compared to the ones in Columbus’ time were greatly different. Yes, they had their advantages and their disadvantages, but they were extremely modern for the times that they were created. Ships have come a long way and will continue to advance in their construction. In fact, I hope there may be a time where they will become so cutting edge that they will once again become our main mode of transportation.

**Author's Note:**

> Bibliography:  
> Campbell, I. C. “The Lateen Sail in World History.” Journal of World History, vol. 6, no. 1, 1995, pp. 1–23. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20078617.  
> Dungard, Martin. The Last Voyage of Columbus: Being the Epic Tale of the Great Captain's Fourth Expedition, including Accounts of Swordfight, Mutiny, Shipwreck, Gold, War, Hurricane, and Discovery. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2005.  
> Gallager, Carole. Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of the New World. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2000.  
> Hale, Edward E. The Life of Christopher Columbus: From His Own Letters and Journals and Other Documents of His Time. Chicago: G. L. Howe & Company, 1891.  
> Imlach, Gladys M. “The Story of Columbus.” Heritage History, T.C. & E.C. Jack, 2010, www.heritage-history.com/ssl/cds/young_readers/pdf/The Story of Columbus - Imlach.pdf.  
> Schwartz, G.R. The History and Development of Caravels. Master’s Thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, 2008.


End file.
